A TALK ABOUT PERSIA AND ITS WOMEN 857 



sleeps for the black lamb's- wool hat. 

 His servant then pours water over his 

 hands, and he washes his face, arms, 

 and feet before prostrating himself on 

 his prayer-carpet, which is turned in the 

 direction of Mecca. 



After his devotions (which he repeats 

 at noon and at sunset) are accomplished, 

 he partakes again of much-sweetened tea 

 without milk, and with it eats a thin cake 

 of flabby bread and some sweetmeats. 

 Then he smokes a kalian, or water-pipe, 

 and feels fortified for the work of the 

 day, whatever it may be. 



At noon an ample repast is served on 

 a leather cloth laid on the ground, and 

 the standing dish will be pilau, which 

 consists of a mound of beautifully cooked 

 rice mixed with chopped meat and vege- 

 tables. 



All Persians sit on their heels, and they 

 eat with their fingers, manipulating the 

 pilau most cleverly with the right hand, 

 it being a mark of ill-breeding to use 

 both hands when feeding. 



The meal is discussed in total silence, 

 and, when all the greasy right hands 

 have been washed with rose water, the 

 party betake themselves to slumber, a 

 midday siesta being indulged in from 

 the highest to the lowest. 



Tea, fruit, and sweetmeats are par- 

 taken of during the visits which Persians 

 are so fond of making, and often the 

 evening meal is not served until 9 o'clock, 

 all going to rest immediately they have 

 finished eating. 



According to the Mohammedan re- 

 ligion Persians are not permitted to in- 

 dulge in alcohol, and the strict confine 

 themselves to sherbets (fruit syrups). 

 But the wines of Shiraz, Hamadan, and 

 Isfahan, or arrack, the spirit made from 

 grape refuse, prove too strong a tempta- 

 tion to many, and unfortunately the 

 Persian only drinks in order that he may 

 become inebriated. 



pre:-matrimoniai, arrangi:me:nts 



Friday, the Mohammedan equivalent 

 to the Christian Sunday, is the day when 

 business is suspended in the bazaars, and 

 the faithful resort first to the pubHc 



baths, and, after their ablutions, to the 

 mosque. Here all prostrate themselves 

 in the direction of the kaaba, the sacred 

 black stone built into the mosque at 

 Mecca, and their devotions are led by a 

 priest, the proceedings terminating with 

 a discourse called the khuthah. 



When a Persian reaches manhood his 

 parents busy themselves in arranging a 

 suitable marriage for him. As he has 

 never looked upon the face of any lady, 

 unless she be a near relative, he has 

 absolutely no choice in the matter. 

 His mother selects his Hancee and he is 

 not supposed to meet her until the public 

 betrothal by a priest takes place. 



If he then dislikes what he sees of a 

 face that is almost disguised with rouge 

 and powder, he can draw back, but he 

 has to hand over to the girl's parents 

 half the value of the dowry that he 

 would have received with her, and, more- 

 over, he is socially disgraced. 



Marriage is, however, by no means 

 such a serious matter as it is in some 

 countries. The Prophet permits his fol- 

 lowers to have four wives apiece and 

 as many temporary connections as they 

 please, and we have already explained 

 how easy it is for a man to rid himself 

 of an uncongenial helpmate. 



DOMESTIC lif'e: and customs 



Moreover, many Persians have no 

 home life in the usual sense of the word. 

 A Persian house is divided into the 

 hirooni, or men's apartments, and the 

 andcroon, or part consecrated to the 

 women. A strong door, set in a high 

 blank wall, gives entrance to a narrow 

 passage that leads into a square court- 

 yard on which open several rooms. Here 

 the men live, and here they usually feed 

 and entertain their friends, while their 

 women dwell in rooms set round an 

 inner courtyard, the only entrance to 

 which is through the hirooni. 



As a Persian is instructed from earliest 

 youth that a woman's advice is of no 

 account — in fact, the priests tell him that 

 he had better do the exact opposite of 

 what a woman counsels — it can be under- 

 stood that as a rule he has no exalted 



